A Thin Line
by PeaceofStar
Summary: Two Jedi are stranded in the path of the invading Yuuzhan Vong. They need to rely on one another for survival, but everything seems to be conspiring against them. NJO – prior to Destiny’s Way
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to LucasFilm Ltd. **

OO

The space around Borealis was filled with ships. While the larger ones slugged it out with their laser, ion, and plasma batteries, the smaller fighters danced an intricate ballet around them. Not only were the New Republic forces trying to escape, but they were determined to take as many enemy fighters with them as possible.

Phaelon glanced at the control panel of her X-wing to see three coralskippers had attached themselves to Twin Suns Leader. Jaina Solo, deeply engaged in her own dogfight didn't notice them and her two wingmates were deeply engrossed in their own battles.

"Goddess, you've picked up two," the Kiffar Jedi Knight announced, pulling her X-wing in a tight one hundred eighty degree loop and pelting back into the fray.

She felt a wave of relief wash over Jaina as the second fighter fell to her lasers. "Thanks, Four."

Jaina was the last of Twin Suns Squadron out of the thickest part of the furball. Phaelon shot into a steep dive and looped around, making a large teardrop and coming back out towards the rest of the squadron.

A well-placed shot from a coralskipper was the first indication that Phaelon had picked up an enemy fighter. Red lights blinked on the control panel in over a dozen places as the X-wing rocked violently. Her R-5 squealed as only a droid in terror can, and a stream of protests appeared on the monitor.

"I know. I know. I see him," muttered Phaelon to herself as she juked and jinked the starfighter, trying to make it a harder target. _A little help here would be nice,_ she thought.

The coralskipper clung to her tail as she pushed the inertial compensation to its limits, bobbing and weaving at impossible angles. A sharp crack! juddered through the fighter, slewing it left, and more red lights appeared on the board.

"Four," – It was Twin Five. – "You okay? That was quite a hit."

Phaelon scanned the boards quickly – little lights were flashing in a dozen places – and chanced a look out her port side. Her s-foils had been sheered clean off a meter above where the lasers should have been.

She switched her com to the unit's frequency. "Negative, I've lost my port lasers. They're completely gone, along with most of the wing."

She felt, rather than heard Jaina's command. _Get outta here. You'll only get yourself killed._

Phaelon shook her head and swept the X-wing closer to one of the Star Destroyers; there was no way Jaina was getting her to desert her fellow pilots.

Jaina must have sensed this refusal on her part because the next moment, her voice crackled over the com. "Two, Leader. Hook up with Four and get her out of here."

_Now,_ Jaina sent through the Force. There was no arguing with her, although Phaelon could sense that Kyp wanted to. Not that she was all too thrilled about having the rogue Jedi Master as an escort either.

"Drifter," Phaelon said to her astromech. "Plot me some coordinates out of here. Preferably to somewhere habitable where we can repair."

The droid tootled in reply and the translation appeared before her.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, "I can't be too picky at the moment." As she muttered, she hit the switch above her left shoulder and brought the s-foils back to their cruising position.

A set of coordinates appeared on her monitor a moment before Kyp arrived. "So, where we headed?" he didn't sound happy about the arrangement either.

She shot him the coordinates as they finally reached the empty space beyond the furball. "I have no idea."

_Great,_ she heard him mutter through the Force as her ship shot away from Borealis and into the relative safety of hyperspace.


	2. Chapter 2

They were silent for a long time. Every so often Phaelon would glance out her port side and assure herself that what remained of her s-foils were still there. The shortened wings made the whole ship vibrate and made her feel off balance.

Finally, she felt Kyp's mind touch hers. _So, there is a planet at the end of this, and not just some black hole. Right?_ he asked.

She offered him a mental shrug and knew he was rolling his eyes. "Drifter?" she asked her astromech. "Where exactly are we going?"

The astromech blatted indignantly.

"Of course I trust you, I'd just like to know," Phaelon insisted to the persnickety droid. "I'm just curious."

With a final raspberry, the droid complied. A system chart appeared on her navicomputer.

"Ansion?"

_Where the heck's that?_ demanded Kyp's voice inside her head.

Phaelon flicked through the information. "There's not much there. Last they had a diplomatic envoy was just before the Clone Wars."

_Wonderful. _"Are they friendly?" Kyp finally decided to use the comlink instead of the Force.

There was a significant pause. "Relatively."

"Sounds like fun," he replied sarcastically.

OO

When they dropped out of hyperspace, Ansion was a gold and green ball hanging in front of them. "See," said Phaelon, "no black holes." From where she was flying, she could feel Kyp roll his eyes.

"Yeah well, random hyperspace jumps are the quickest form of suicide I'm aware of." His voice turned serious over the com. "How's the ship doing? You gonna make it through the atmosphere okay?"

Phaelon chuckled. "What's this, Kyp? You actually concerned for me?"

"No," Kyp replied lightly, "I didn't want to fly all the way out here only to have my charge disintegrate."

Her R-5 unit chirped something and she was forced to break off her conversation – someone from planetside control was trying to contact her.

_I hope the last envoys made a good impression_, Kyp sent as Phaelon switched com frequencies. _Just don't let them know you're Jedi yet._

"Unidentified fighters, this is Cuipernam Control. Identify yourselves immediately." The voice that crackled over her com spoke in broken Basic.

"This is Captain Phaelon Lei of New Republic Starfighter Command." She tried her best to speak slowly and clearly. "My ship is badly damaged. Requesting permission for myself and my escort to land and repair."

They waited in silence for nearly three minutes before the controller was back. "Permission granted. Please follow these landing coordinates."

"Thank you, Control."


	3. Chapter 3

Kyp stayed close as the two X-wings entered the atmosphere. With his fighter nearly touching hers, it was a perfect example of precision flying made stronger by the Force-meld the Jedi pilots had perfected.

The trip through Ansion's atmosphere had to be one of the worst flights Phaelon had ever witnessed, let alone flown. The sheered off s-foil made the fighter shake and rattle violently, and more little red lights came on the longer they flew.

Halfway down, Drifter, her astromech, tootled a warning that the whole port wing array was likely to rip lose if the shaking was not stopped soon. A cold knot of dread settled itself in the pit of Phaelon's stomach. This had been a stupid idea. Why didn't she think to find a spacedock? Even if she survived re-entry, the landing might still kill her.

Suddenly she felt a calming presence enter her mind. Kyp. _Get outta there,_ she rebuked him.

_Hey,_ came his voice in her head, _I was only trying to help._

Instead of choosing to respond, Phaelon concentrated on her instruments, willing them to stay green until she'd made it to the ground.

After what seemed like eternities, the X-wings broke through the final layer of cloud cover. The pilots were greeted by the sight of sprawling plains, meandering rivers, and rolling hills. Several small villages flashed past, and then they were approaching the only city they had yet seen. The tallest buildings were only a few stories tall and the streets were gravel. It reminded Phaelon of what Tatooine would look like covered in grass.

The X-wings skirted the city as per their instructions, taking a longer but safer route. The controller must have had enough brains to not send a broken fighter through a large metropolitan area.

OO

The landing was anything but graceful. Phaelon tried to set the X-wing down on the landing pad as carefully as possible, but the damaged repulsorlifts gave out with a dying sputter and the fighter dropped the last few meters to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Off balance, the X-wing tipped precariously on its landing struts. Phaelon sent her mind out and gently nudged the fighter back upright. It landed with a final bang and the sound of something ripping loose. With a sigh, she popped the canopy and allowed the warm air to swirl around her.

Kyp landed perfectly beside her, and she could feel his smug grin. She scowled and, removing her helmet and gloves, slid off the edge of the cockpit to the ground. He joined her a moment later, and they walked towards the hanger. It felt good to be on solid ground again after the cramped little cockpit.

Two natives rushed towards them from where they had been sheltering behind a sheet of transparisteel as though the X-wing was about to explode. In their dark-blue flightsuits and plain robes, the two Jedi looked particularly drab and washed-out compared to their flamboyant coloration. Both were completely hairless except for a short brush of thick hair running down their backs, and watched the Jedi with large, protuberant, red eyes. Their hands ended in three long fingers and, at the moment, carried no weapons.

"Welcome to Cuipernam, Captain," said the male, inclining his head towards Phaelon. "If you would follow us, please."

Phaelon exchanged a worried glance with Kyp as they fell into step behind the him, the female walking behind.

_This can't be good,_ she thought to him.

He nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

The silent guards led them to a waiting landspeeder at the front of the spaceport. The male gestured for them to get in, which they did, taking the back seats while the male drove and the female rode facing them, a sterile look on her face.

While they drove, Phaelon tried to reach out and touch them with the Force to assure herself they weren't Vong. However, she hit a wall bearing Kyp's signature instead. The Jedi Master seated next to her sent her a small shake of his head through the Force. _Not now_, he warned her. _Wait and see._

Phaelon had to stifle a laugh. _Since when are you lecturing me about patience?_

He sent her a mental shrug and a wink.

She sighed and ran a hand through her long, black hair – it would be amazing if they survived this. They'd only been together a few minutes and she already wanted to hit him.

The female must have sensed something pass between them because she smiled thinly, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth. Phaelon returned it, then turned her attention to the scenery, of which there wasn't much aside from endless plains spreading away from the city in every direction.

The speeder took them through the city this time. It had the quaint, old-world feeling to it. Several squares contained old fashioned markets where the people conducted business face to face.

Most of the beings they saw were native Ansonians, but there were also some humans and several hulking Armalats as well. Everything was so peaceful that they didn't seem aware of the oncoming war.

She transmitted this feeling to Kyp, but he didn't seem concerned. "So," he said at length, "Where are we going?"

"The Consul wishes to speak with you," the woman replied coolly. "We're taking you to the municipal hall for your audience."

Phaelon exchanged a slightly worried glance with Kyp. _This doesn't sound good._

_It'll be okay. It's only an audience._ His reply was tinged with sarcasm.

OO

The municipal hall was grandiose compared to the rest of the buildings in the immediate area, but as the government building it was to be expected. They were escorted into a small room with a large, expensive table in the center. The only being in sight was a single Ansonian male at the far end whose mane was died in alternating black and white stripes.

"Consul," said one of their guards with a short bow. "We bring before you the two pilots who requested aide and landed in the spaceport."

He looked them over from their disheveled hair to their rumpled flightsuits with obvious wariness. Through the Force, Phaelon could feel the suspicion emanating from him. Unexpectedly, he smiled. "You must forgive this formality," he said, "but in this troubled time, one cannot be too careful." – He fixed her with a penetrating stare. – "Tell me, _Captain_, why are you here?"

Phaelon was taken aback by the absurdity, hadn't she already explained that? "Consul," she said, remaining calm at Kyp's urging through the Force, "My fighter was damaged in a battle with the Yuuzhan Vong and is badly in need of repairs. The planet of Ansion was the closest New Republic world."

He looked surprised. "You fly closer towards the enemy in a damaged ship. It would seem more prudent to back away."

"My astromech plotted the course. I didn't really have a say in where I was going," Phaelon explained, her annoyance growing again.

"And how can you prove to us that you are not Vong spies sent here as a precursor to all-out invasion?" he asked silkily.

Before Phaelon could answer, Kyp stepped forward. "Consul," he said, "My friend and I are members of New Republic Starfighter Command. Our forces were being routed at Borleias and we didn't have a choice where to land. If you'd like to examine the damage for yourself, our fighters are at your spaceport."

He scowled and sighed. "I understand your problems and you have my sympathies. But as a leader, you must understand my problems. Ansion is on the outer edge of the Vong invasion. Any stranger is suspect. For this reason, I am ordering you imprisoned until we can determine if you are telling the truth."

Two guards materialized out of nowhere behind them. Phaelon reached for her lightsaber, but something stilled her hand and she bowed her head. "I am sure you are only protecting your people, Consul. We have no quarrel with you or the people of Ansion."

Clasping their hands behind their backs, the guards applied a pair of stun cuffs and led them from the room and to a waiting transport.

_I still don't like this,_ Phaelon thought as the guards shoved them into the windowless transport. _Something doesn't feel right._

Kyp nodded mentally. _He's hiding something from us._

With a pair of guards riding in the back with them, the two Jedi didn't have time to talk aloud. Despite Phaelon's growing agitation, Kyp seemed to have shut himself off, a trait that was particularly disturbing coming from him.


	5. Chapter 5

The Consul shuddered as he watched the pilots being led away. Though they hadn't said it, he knew they were Jedi by their bearing and by the silver handgrips hanging at their belt. He had never seen an actual Jedi before, but his father, Ranjiyn, had told him stories about how the Jedi had brought about peace between the City-dwellers and the Alwari, the nomads. As much as he hated to do it, he had to tell Bossban Soergg of their arrival.

Inexplicably, the Hutt was beaming as the Consul told him about the Jedi. "You have done well, Consul," Soergg the Hutt boomed. "Tsavong Lah will be pleased. In exchange for two Jedi, the Vong will surely leave us alone. I wish to see them as soon as may be."

He bowed. "Of course, Bossban. I shall be sure guards are kept on the Jedi at all times."

Repressing a disgusted shudder as the Hutt smacked his blubbery lips, the Consul left as quickly as possible. It was a shame to turn the Jedi over to the invaders; they would be better off dead than in Vong-hands. And Soergg had no proof the Vong would abide by their part of the bargain; they were as slimy as Hutts, which was no small bit of consolation.

He sighed and shook his head. No matter what his decision, the outcome looked bleak.

OO

The prison was a thick, windowless building that looked as if it could survive a nuclear blast. Only the technological centers of Coruscant seemed more solidly built and it had taken a construction droid to break into that thing.

"Now what?" Phaelon demanded as soon as the guard locked the door to their cell. It was a sparse room with two small cots, a chair, and no windows.

Kyp flashed her a cocky smile. "Just wait and see."

Phaelon raised an eyebrow. "Wait until he trades us to the Vong to save himself?" she countered snidely.

"Need I remind you, we only have one flyable fighter between us?"

She sighed resignedly. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"They're not exactly well armed," he observed, "or appear technologically advanced."

"That doesn't mean they aren't," Phaleon pointed out.

He considered this for a moment. "True."

She listened carefully as Kyp outlined his plan, poking holes and helping mend them.

At length, she sighed. "If this doesn't work, we could be in a whole lot of trouble."

"Hey, we're Jedi. What could possibly go wrong?" he asked cockily. "Don't answer that."


	6. Chapter 6

They waited until the guards brought their food – some colorless, gray mush before they implemented Kyp's plan.

"Is that it?" Kyp asked, looking disgusted.

The guard nodded. "Yeah."

Meanwhile, Phaelon was using the Force to influence the other guard. "Are you sure that's it?" she asked.

The other guard poked his friend. "I know there's something we're forgetting about these two."

While they thought, Kyp planted the same thought in the first guard's head. "Yeah, there was," he grunted.

"Has the Consul decided what is to be done with us?" asked Phaelon.

"Has the Consul decided to let us go?" Kyp added.

The guards considered each other suspiciously. "Yeah, that was it," said one.

"Yep, the Consul decided to let you go," reiterated the other.

Smiling, they led the Jedi out of the cell towards the front door. "Just a second," said one, "You got something to sign and we'll give you back your weapons."

They entered a small office where a fat Hutt was waiting, oozing slime. The Hutt looked at them and then at their guards. "What is going on here?" he asked.

"The Consul has freed the captives. We're letting them go," explained one of the guards.

"These are Jedi," growled the Hutt, "You are under strict orders not to let them out of your sight."

Something snapped in the guards and everything came back to them. They rounded on the Jedi. "You tricked us!" they demanded.

But they were already moving, calling their lightsabers to them. They flew to their owners, they raised their hands and the ignited blades sliced cleanly through their binders.

"We'd like to stay and chat," said Kyp, his white-purple blade held at the ready, "but we've got an engagement elsewhere."

Phaelon worked quickly at the door mechanism behind him. She activated her saber and the Jedi backed from the room. The door automatically shut behind them.

"How'd it go?" asked Kyp as they rain down the corridor.

"It's locked down, but a couple blaster bolts will open it pretty quick," she explained quickly.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded and small red lights in the walls began to flash. "There go any hopes of stealth," muttered Kyp. "Come on."

OO

They turned the corner and found themselves at the end of a short hall with a door at the end. "Let's hope this is a way out."

Phaelon tried the door. "Locked. Give me a second." Quickly, she tucked the deactivated saber into her belt and began working at the door.

It slid open onto what looked like a stable. Stalls on either side were filled with stocky, four-legged, four-eyed creatures with long, flaring ears. Several were wearing what looked like saddles.

Kyp ducked in and Phaelon closed the door, wiring it locked again. "It couldn't have been a hangar," he sighed.

"We don't really have time to be picky at the moment, do we?" countered Phaelon, going to the nearest beast. Behind them, they could hear the alarm wailing and people yelling.

"Not really."

Grabbing two of the creatures, they went to the far door and opened it. It opened onto a back alley, but at least they were out. Mounting the long-legged creatures would have been difficult without the Force as they continued to fidget with the excitement.

"Where we heading?" Kyp asked as goaded the creatures into motion.

"How am I supposed to know?" Phaelon countered. "It's your plan."

Together, they guided the creatures at a fast pace through the nearly deserted city streets until they came to a gate leading onto the vast plains. Behind them, they could hear people running and shouting. Several blaster bolts flashed past, missing them by several meters. Without stopping, they disappeared through the gates and into the thick, grassy plains beyond.


	7. Chapter 7

The two guards returned to their office after sweeping the entire prison complex for the Jedi. Soergg the Hutt was waiting for them.

"The two Jedi have escaped, Bossban," said the first guard. "They stole a pair of sadains and rode out into the plains. They've got the head start, we'd be hard pressed to catch them."

The Hutt looked thoroughly displeased. "This is an unfortunate turn of events."

"Bossban," interrupted the other guard. "They won't survive for long out there. They took no provisions or supplies. They'll probably be eaten by shanhs within a day."

Soergg nodded, but still looked angry – the Vong Warmaster would not be pleased by the news, but as long as they died and Soergg was able to provide proof, Tsavong Lah may at least kill him swiftly.

"They'll come back," said the first guard. "They need their ships."

The other guard frowned. "Not if they go to another of the cities and enlist their help."

"Or the help of the Alwari," conceded the first.

"Enough of this." – Soergg cut them off. – "Leave me."

Bowing, the two guards took a hasty leave.

OO

The grassy plains spread out before them as Kyp and Phaelon galloped the sadains further away from the city and into the setting sun. It would have been a very beautiful scene, but they were in too much of a hurry to appreciate it.

They galloped for nearly an hour before bringing their animals down to a more steady pace. By that time, it was nearly dark and a cool wind was whipping across the prairie. Phaelon hugged her arms closer to her and shivered; the worn flightsuit wasn't made for this, and the robe wasn't helping much.

Finding a small pond – more like a large puddle – they decided to stop for a few hours of rest. After watering their mounts, they tied them to two sparse trees nearby, and settled down to discuss their options.

"So, we're lost on a foreign planet that's about to be taken over by the Vong with only two whatever as transportation and nothing in the way of supplies," said Phaelon, summing up their problem.

Kyp nodded. "What do we know about Ansion in general?"

"There're few cities; little technology; lots of little nomadic tribes; everything is based on tradition." – Phaelon racked her brain for more. – "Their file wasn't all that extensive."

"And they know we need our ships to get off this forsaken rock." – For one of the few times in his life, Kyp looked thoughtful. "They're probably counting on us getting eaten by something out here."

Phaelon scoffed. "They've got good odds on that. There's a lot of strange flora and fauna that wouldn't mind taking a bite out of us. Not to mention the nomads."

Something twitched in Kyp's face – worry? "They eat people?"

She shrugged. "We can hope they don't follow every tradition."

"What are our options?"

"Go back and take our chances with the Hutt and the city-dwellers. Or keep going, take our chances with the plains and hope to find another city or some friendly nomads," she returned cynically.

"Wonderful," he sarcastically commented. "You're exhausted, so let's sleep on. I'll take the first watch."

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you chart that one?"

He smirked, and for some reason it was very infuriating. "Because, I can feel your Force-signature and know you weren't sleeping during those hyperspace jumps."

She scowled, but curled into a ball with the hood of her robes as a pillow. "You better wake me in a few hours," she threatened, hating to admit that she was in fact very sleepy.


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing disturbed the Jedi during the night – perhaps they were still too close to civilization. Nonetheless, they were awake as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon.

"So what's the decision?" asked Phaelon as they bridled the creatures once again. "Where're we headed?"

Kyp shrugged. "I was thinking we ride curve back around and come at the city from another direction. That way we'll give them enough time to think we're dead and gone. We sneak in, commandeer a shuttle, blow up something just because we can, and be gone before they know it."

She nodded. "Sounds like something I should have expected from you."

He chose to ignore the dig, but she could feel him biting back an angry retort and it made her feel good to have made him mad.

"Have you ever considered that if that Hutt tips the Vong off that we're here, we could be in serious trouble?" she continued. When he didn't respond, she grinned. "I didn't think so. A coral skipper won't have any problem spotting us from a long ways off on these plains. And if you haven't noticed, there's no where to run and hide either."

Finally, Kyp rounded on her. "Do you ever stop worrying?" he demanded. "Master Skywalker is always telling us to focus on the here and now. And here and now, the only problem is our staying alive long enough to get off this rock, Vong or no Vong."

Now it was Phaelon's turn to be quite, and she could feel his smug triumph at having shut down her rant. So they rode on in silence, using the sun as a compass to keep them heading in the right direction. It wouldn't do for them to get lost on the prairie; no one would ever find them if they did.

It was near midday when they came to a wide, swift-flowing river. Phaelon raised an eyebrow and allowed her mount to drop its head and graze on the tall grasses. "Now what?"

"We really don't have much of a choice," Kyp returned, surveying the river. "It doesn't look deep."

She eyed it for a moment. "After you."

"Thanks," he returned unenthused. Kicking his mount forward, they descended in single file to the river's edge and started across. Three steps into the river, the sadain dropped until only it's head and ears were above the water and continued swimming.

"Son of the sith!" exclaimed Kyp as he kept himself from falling but ended up completely soaked anyway after flailing about to keep his balance.

Phaelon was laughing at his predicament when the same thing happened to her sadain, and she was tossed upstream into the river. She came up sputtering in the cold water and shoving the hair out of her eyes. Then it was Kyp's turn to laugh.

OO

He was waiting on the far bank with the mounts when Phaelon dragged herself out of the river. She was now cold and wet and very cross.

"Finished?" he asked snidely as she took the reins to her mount.

She glared at him, not trusting herself to answer as she mounted up and they continued. As they rode, She studied her face in the grip of her lightsaber, The dirt had been smeared and partially washed off so the stripes it created looked like additions to the natural dark-blue diamond-shaped Kiffar markings under her eyes. She didn't even want to think how long it had been since she'd bathed.

Their clothes dried in the sun, and the itching of the half-wet flight suit was driving her mad. How Kyp could stand it was beyond her, but if he could deal with it, she could as well.

"Why do you do it?" Phaelon asked as they crossed another stream, this one very shallow and easily forded.

"Do what?" asked Kyp, taken off-guard.

"Argue with Master Luke, when the last thing we need is a Civil War among the Jedi?" Part of her didn't want to ask, knowing the Jedi was like a loose ion cannon, but she asked anyway.

Something flashed – annoyance? – in his eyes, but he thought for a moment before speaking. "Because Master Luke is a pacifist. He doesn't want the Jedi to be involved in the war. It doesn't matter who or what we serve. We're Jedi, and if we're able to protect the galaxy from a threat, we need to take the chance. Luke doesn't think we should, and it holding the Jedi Order back from its full potential."

Phaelon was silent for a moment. She didn't believe what she was hearing, usually Kyp's arguments were just that – loud and argumentative. "You make valid points," she agreed, something else she never thought she'd do.

"Now let me ask you something?" countered.

She nodded, though she was still thinking about his explanation.

"You question me about my motives, why don't you question Master Luke about his?"


	9. Chapter 9

Most of the afternoon was spent in silence, with Phaelon considering Kyp's question. She hadn't expected such a poignant question from the rogue Jedi Master. Normally it would have been a simple answer – because Master Luke is the head of the order – but now that she was thinking about it she began to wonder if questioning was such a bad thing.

The sun was setting when the silence was broken by a cough! Phaelon scowled as her quiet sadain shied violently and attempted to bolt. Kyp was riding ahead of her, and his mount was also clearly terrified.

Instinctively, she reached for her lightsaber. Before she could take hold of it, however, something large and six-legged erupted from the grass with a feral hiss. Front and middle clawed paws collided with her, knocking her off the sadain to the grass. Phaelon got an eyeful of razor-sharp serrated teeth as the shanh's momentum carried it tumbling past her. Silently, she cursed herself for not being aware of it in the Force.

In the moment it took the predator to turn, she had activated her lightsaber, and was in a crouch facing the creature. The silver blade was reflected in three large red eyes. It hissed again.

Without taking her eyes from the first shanh, Phaelon sent a Force-shove behind her, catching the second creature in mid-pounce and sending it sprawling. Just as this happened, a third was stalking towards her side. It emitted a rising hiss and charged.

Phaelon ducked away, nearly into the path of yet a fourth carnivore. This one pounced straight at her and her upraised saber. She batted it away, the saber biting deep into its chest, but not before its claws had ripped down her side from her shoulder to her hip.

She cried out. The wound didn't look too deep, just bloody and painful. Much more of this and even a Corellian wouldn't bet on her.

_I wouldn't be too sure about that,_ said Kyp through the Force. He was nearby, blade glowing, but yet another shanh had turned its attention on him.

_How many of these Sith-spawned things are there? _she demanded to herself as she used the Force to shove one shanh and slashed low with her saber to slice the feet out from another. She spun in time to see Kyp's blade meet a charging creature right behind its head.

The sole creature left standing fixed them with an insolent stare before fading back into the growing darkness. She followed it with the Force for a moment, assuring herself it was retreating and not circling around for another attack.

Heaving a sigh, Phaelon deactivated her saber. Only when she clipped the saber to her belt, did she remember she was injured. Three long claw marks had sliced through the flightsuit and filleted her skin into a bloody mess.

_I'm fine,_ she returned, pulling her robe close around her and feeling Kyp's touch through the Force. Drawing more of the Force to her, she focused on the wounds, and the blood slowly began to clot and the sharp pains dulled. _It looks worse than it is._ The last person's sympathy she wanted was Kyp's.

Ignoring his suspicious glance, she walked over to where the sadains had taken up grazing on the thick grasses and collected its reins. The animal was no worse for wear. The shanhs had been too busy trying to eat Phaelon to pay much attention to the fleet prey animal.


	10. Chapter 10

OO

They decided not to camp that night. The shanh attack had their Force-senses on edge and it was easier just to keep going. Sometime around midnight, they turned their route west and continued riding parallel to a set of rocky hills.

During the darkest part of the night they were alerted to a soft rustling, but a quick Force-shove ensured the creature would not come nearer. The exercise of dividing the Force between herself and the creature took its toll on Phaelon, draining her of energy, and she wobbled on her mount. She frowned; there must have been something in the animal's claws that kept the wounds from healing, because anytime she tried to release the Force-pressure on them they started bleeding again.

When the sun rose, they found they had entered the foothills belonging to a long chain of tall mountains. They were deep into a series of rocky crags with no sign of the rolling plains they had been surrounded by.

Phaelon scowled. "Do you remember these?"

"I was a little concerned with those things trying to eat us at the time," Kyp retorted. "There was a chain of mountains, but I could swear they were farther to the east."

She rolled her eyes. "Some Jedi we are… Wonderful, we're lost – again."

"How can we be lost _again_," Kyp asked, "if we don't know where we were to begin with? We can't get more lost than we already are… Unless you have a better idea."

Her scowl deepened, but she didn't reply.

Despite her obvious annoyance, they continued moving forward. Meandering through the rocks was like walking through the outcroppings on Tatooine – there was always a feeling of being watched. Phaelon reached out with the Force and could feel little creatures scurrying around, more trying to keep out of sight than stalking them.

OO

Early the next morning, they rode to the top of a ridge and saw spread before them a camp of a few hundred tents and a portable corral sprawled next to a crystal-clear pond. Thousands of Ansonians were just waking and beginning their day's business.

Approaching them were six riders mounted as the Jedi and richly attired in lightweight armor. Two carried standards while the others carried something which looked like longer vibro-pikes. Each was armed with the latest in high-tech blasters. Phaelon reached out with the Force and could sense no hostility, only curiosity.

"Greetings off-worlders," said the one who seemed to be the leader. "I am Raayar of Situng Januul. What is it that you seek of the overclan?"

Phaelon and Kyp exchanged a look through the Force, neither were diplomats, but really didn't want to make the nomads angry either. After a brief pause, Kyp spoke. "I am Kyp Durron. This is my partner Phaelon Lei. We are heading towards the city of Cuipernam and were recently attacked. We have nothing to give you, but any assistance you could provide would be appreciated."

Raayar examined them with his large convex eyes and smiled. "The shanh have been hungry lately. You are not the first to have been attacked. I will convey your request to the Council. Meanwhile, I invite you to follow me and experience Januul hospitality."

She smothered a smile as the nomads surrounded them. _Good job,_ she thought to him, _you managed to not start an intergalactic incident._


	11. Chapter 11

The Jedi followed Raayar into the camp. They detected only open friendliness towards themselves and more than a little curiosity from the natives. The escort led them to a small tent set slightly away from the rest and gestured towards it. "The Visitors Tent. Please make yourselves comfortable and enjoy the provided food and drink. We will see to it your woman receives medical attention. Shanh wounds are poisonous if left untreated."

Once he had gone, two nomads appeared to take the animals. Seeing as they really had nothing else to do, they entered the tent. It was spacious and comfortable. Phaelon sank onto a large poof, trying to contain a fit of giggles. "So, I'm your woman?" she asked.

Kyp looked slightly uncomfortable. "I didn't say it."

At that moment, there was a knock on the tent pole, and an elderly Ansonian woman entered. "Excuse my intrusion," she said. "My name is Kaliis and I am the elder Healer among the Januul. One of you was attacked by the shanh?"

Phaelon nodded and stood. "I was."

The old woman approached and began studying the wound. The Jedi let the Force leave her, and the wound immediately broke open and began oozing. She hissed in pain as the healer poked at it. The grizzled hand paused near her belt, off which hung her lightsaber.

"A Jedi?" she asked, peering into Phaelon's eyes. She reached a hand up to touch the dark-blue diamonds on her nose. "Mistress Offee?"

Phaelon was confused. "My name is Phaelon Lei."

Something passed and the woman began dabbing at the wound with a cloth, but she spoke as she worked. "I'm sorry. I knew a Jedi a long time ago by the name of Barriss Offee. She had nearly identical tattoos. Four of them came to seek a peace with us."

"These aren't tattoos," Phaelon explained, but she was more interested in getting information. "You said four Jedi came to your people?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh yes. They sought a peace with us and the other clans and the city dwellers, and we are very grateful to them. If you are Jedi, the Council will look favorably on anything you wish."

She finished applying healing herbs and bandaging the nasty wound, which continued to bleed. Smiling to herself, the old woman left without another word.

OO

When she was gone, the Jedi studied one another. "Can we trust her?" asked Phaelon after a moment.

"I sense nothing untoward in her," replied Kyp. "It appears these people know nothing of the greater galaxy."

Phaelon nodded. "That's the feeling I get as well." She winced as the wound pulled, but at least she didn't have to continue drawing on the Force.

Raayar appeared at the tent a short time later, after the Jedi had the opportunity to sample the native food and drink. "The Council has granted your requests," he beamed. "They also would like to speak with you."

He led the Jedi to a large tent ringed with standards. Inside, twelve very elderly Ansonians sat in a semi-circle facing the entrance on a series of elevated flowchairs.

They bowed to the Council. "You honor us, elders," said Phaelon.

Who looked like the oldest Ansonian spoke. "It is you who honor us," she said. "Kaliis tells us you are Jedi. Though it has been long since we've seen one of you, we are still in your debt for bringing us peace."

Another Ansonian fixed them with an unblinking stare. "Why have you come now? We were not aware of your arrival."

It was Kyp who spoke. "We beg your forgiveness. It was an accident that we arrived here." Quickly, he told of the war with the Vong and the fight at Borleias that had landed them on Ansion, their imprisonment and escape, and the fight with the shanhs.

When he'd finished, the Ansonians leaned their heads together. The very elderly one spoke again. "We are sorry to hear of your problems. Rest assured Boss Soergg is no friend of the Alwari, and he will not learn of you from us. Situng Januul will do what we can to help our Jedi friends."

"We thank you," replied Kyp. They bowed and were led out of the tent.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, the Jedi set off again. Their mounts had been fed and they were now loaded with provisions enough to see them to the city.

"We thank you for your hospitality," said Phaelon, bowing to the Council elders who had come to see them off. "We only wish we had something to give you in return."

The elder of the Council took her hand. "You have brought us peace and prosperity. That is more than enough."

Bowing once again, the Jedi mounted their sadains and headed along the directions given to them by the nomads.

When the camp had been reduced to a mere speck in the Force, Phaelon sighed. "If that Hutt finds out they helped us - "

"I'd be more worried about the Vong," replied Kyp. "They'll wipe out the whole planet for harboring us."

Phaelon nodded.

Though they rode in silence for most of the morning, Phaelon could feel Kyp debating something with himself.

OO

They stopped to rest in the middle of the afternoon, letting the sadains rest and graze. Finally, Phaelon couldn't restrain herself any longer and she asked a question that had bothered her since the beginning of the war: "How is it that, despite trying to atone for your past, you are so willing to take such an aggressive, offensive stance with the Vong?"

Kyp stared at her for a moment, but didn't seem irritated by her question. "Why do you ask so many questions?" he countered.

"I want to understand," she replied with a disarming smile. "I've tried to stay to the middle in regards to my stance on the war, but the longer it continues, the more likely I'm going to be faced with making a choice. And anyway, Master Skywalker's plan doesn't seem to be that effective. It was only Anakin's mission that really activated the Jedi in this fight."

The Jedi Master considered her then turned his attention inwards. "As I see it, the Vong are the aggressors. Not only do they engineer their voxyn to hunt Force-users and enslave entire races, they annihilate worlds for no other reason other than they can. We're fighting not only for our own survival, but for the survival of our galaxy. Maybe there would be another way if the Vong were willing to negotiate, but, as evidenced at Ithor, we can't believe anything they say."

Phaelon was slightly taken aback, not only by his answer – which actually made sense – but that she found herself agreeing with the rogue Jedi for the second time in almost as many days.


	13. Chapter 13

They rode through the afternoon and into the night, and it was already dark when they settled down to camp on the thick plains. Just as she was falling asleep, something tickled her through the Force and she sat up. She reached out and felt a slight stirring, but it was there. On a planet so full of life, it was difficult to distinguish where it was coming from, but Kyp was also alert, so she was sure it wasn't her imagination.

"You feel it too?" she asked.

He frowned. "There's something there, but it's not anything Vong or after us in particular."

Phaelon nodded, that's what she had felt as well. "Shouldn't we get out of sight just in case." She felt that whatever it was was getting closer.

Then she heard it, above the whispering of the wind, a faint yet steady droning. Nearby the sadains began fidgeting and pawing the ground.

Kyp nodded and pointed off to the side. "Yeah. There was a stand of trees over there."

Moving quickly, they gathered up their things and mounted the sadains. The creatures moved faster than expected, eager to outrun whatever was coming. Something they had learned while at the Academy was that if the natives were running away, it was probably a good idea to move. When they reached the trees a few minutes later, the droning had rose to an overwhelming screech.

Inside the safety of the trees, the sadains continued to fidget, but the Jedi finally got them down just as the first creatures began soaring past. The moon and stars were soon blotted out as thousands began speeding around them.

Something made a sharp crack! on the other side of the tree Phaelon was standing behind, then another, and another in quick succession. The tree shook violently and she hoped it would at least stay upright. Soon what seemed like hundreds were hitting the tree. Though it was too dark to tell what they were, she was thankful she wasn't caught in the middle of it.

The swarm was so think, everything surrounding them was blotted out. She reached out with the Force to assure herself Kyp was still there and met slight amusement at her concern. Immediately, she sent him a glower and retreated.

Suddenly panicked, one of the sadains lurched to its feet and bolted into the storm of creatures. Its fellow considered running as well, but soon laid its head back in the grass and looked thoroughly miserable. Each Jedi considered for a moment about going after the animal, but even a lightsaber couldn't hold back the swarm. The animal's bellows were soon drowned out.

After what seemed like hours – in actuality it had been about three-quarters of an hour – the swarm began to diminish and the sounds of them hitting the tree slowed. Finally, the moon and stars appeared again as the stragglers attempted to keep up with the rest of them.

Peering around the tree, Phaelon saw hundreds of dead creatures that had run into the tree instead of swerving around it. Picking one up, she studied it. It was a nearly black bug that fit in the palm of her hand. With four wings and a pair of furry runners instead of legs, the bugs were clearly meant to remain airborne most of their lives.

Meanwhile, Kyp went in search of the missing sadain. He nearly tripped over it a short distance away. A hole had been gnawed neatly through its skull and other holes had similarly been chewed through other parts of it as well. Clearly the bugs didn't move for anything and were content to chew their way through instead.

OO

After a few hours of restless sleep, they started moving again – taking turns riding the surviving sadain. According to the Alwari, they had been a two day ride from Cuipernam, but having only one mount would slow them down.

As they traveled, Phaelon reached out with the Force, trying to get some idea of what was waiting for them in the city. Thankfully there was nothing out of place as far as she could tell, but that wasn't much of a comfort since they couldn't feel the Vong in the Force anyway.

The whole planet was a little cove of calm. No one seemed to care that there was a galactic war going on and that they might be wiped out; they didn't even seem to know about the bigger galaxy. For Phaelon it was a welcome change of routine. The war seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, but this was one place that it wasn't evident.

When they camped that night, they could see the lights of Cuipernam just beyond the horizon. They probably could have made it, but the poor sadain was exhausted.

"Do we have a plan for getting out of here, _Master_?" Phaelon asked, sipping a self-warming tumbler of spicy tea.

"Why do I have to do all the planning?" Kyp countered.

She smirked. "Well, the Goddess did tell _you_ to watch over _me_."

Heaving a sigh, he ran a hand through his messy hair. "I'm safer with the Vong."


	14. Chapter 14

_This used to be the alternate ending, which I edited because I was ashamed at me for writing it, and at Phaelon for doing it… Here it is, my ending – reworked._

OO

They waited until the next night before putting their plan in action. During the day, they had skirted around the city, assuring themselves they'd come in closest to the spaceport.

When the sun was setting, Phaelon approached the spaceport alone on the sadain. The guards at the gate stepped up to stop her.

"I'm expected," she said, making a subtle gesture with her hand.

The guards nodded stupidly and let her pass. She smiled, and concentrated on wiping their memories, a trick Kyp had taught her earlier that day – she'd have to thank him later.

Leaving the sadain near the hangar, she peered through a grimy window. There were more guards inside. Using the Force, she sprang to a second-story balcony, and entered through the door, which someone had foolishly left open.

She found herself in an office stacked with datacards and piles of confiscated items; it must have belonged to the customs agent. In a few seconds she had rifled through the information on the datapad, searching for something. She frowned when she found it. "Sithspit," she muttered. _Looks like yours is the only thing capable of getting off this rock_, she thought to Kyp.

Going to the window, she felt Kyp curse foully then focus again. _Let's clear the hangar first and see is something presents itself._ She sent him a nod.

Dropping into the shadows, she edged around to the hangar doors. There were two guards, which were distracted easily enough by a small noise behind them. Mentally pinching the arteries in their necks, she thought the command, "Sleep," and the guards fell.

Cautiously, she peeked inside the doors, which were ajar and winced. The hangar was full of cargo containers and the two X-wings, but nothing else. She highly doubted they'd be able to get to the second hangar before the alarm was raised, and her X-wing wouldn't survive long enough to get her off-planet.

Reaching into the Force, she saw there were at least two dozen guards – not odds to worry about, but their numbers meant the Jedi were expected.

_Ready?_ Kyp sounded eager, and even a bit vindictive.

She nodded.

The guards didn't know what hit them. Phaelon attacked from the front, her silver blade blazing in the near-darkness of the hangar. Kyp came through a back window, taking out two guards before his feet even touched the floor.

Three guards were down in a matter of seconds. Phaelon saw one guard disappear out a side door and tried to feel him through the Force, but there was nothing but a blank space. _Vong!_

_Get him!_ commanded Phaelon. _I'll take these guys._ The guards seemed more inclined to fight her anyway, especially after Kyp had thrown several of them across the room with a Force-shove. Assuring herself Kyp was after the Vong-guard, she turned all her attention to the others.

Nine to one was hardly fair odds, but they didn't take into account it was a Jedi they were after. They tried to encircle her and trap her in the crossfire, but Phaelon continued to bat away the bolts while always keeping a cargo container or something between her and those trying to get a clear shot at her back.

She flung one guard back so hard she heard his head crack against the durasteel wall. Two caught a flying cargo container square in their chests, knocking them down and trapping them. Grabbing another one, she flung him into two of his friends, sending them sprawling. A broken repulsorsled pinned them down just to make sure. Two of them turned their blasters on one another at her suggestion. She parried the last blasterbolts before lopping the blaster in two and slipping her blade between the guards ribs.

Having disposed of the guards, Phaelon went in search of Kyp. The Vong had peeled out of his ooglith masquer to reveal a horribly deformed and tattooed creature clad in black armor and wielding a stiffened amphistaff.

"_Jeedai!"_ he hissed, spotting Phaelon and her saber as Kyp tried to circle behind him.

Slipping into something akin to the battle-meld they used in their starfighters, the Jedi connected through the Force to reinforce their actions. When Phaelon attacked, Kyp distracted him, and vice-versa. He was already wounded by the time she arrived and their battle-meld only served to enhance his anger.

One lucky swipe however managed to take Phaelon's feet out from under her, and he was about to stab his amphistaff into her when Kyp came from behind and slid his saber into the chink in his armor right at his shoulder. The Vong snarled and lashed out at him, allowing her to gain her feet again and jab quickly into another chink of armor at his hip.

After what seemed like ages of parrying with the amphistaff, it was clear no one was gaining an advantage. _Lead him this way, _Phaelon thought through the Force and began running back towards the cavernous hangar. Despite his wariness at disengaging from the warrior, Kyp followed, always one step ahead of the angry, injured warrior.

_Keep him busy for a second_, she thought, making her way quickly to her broken X-wing. "Drifter," she said to the droid, who immediately piped up, eager to help.

Two seconds later, the armed shadowbomb was carefully making its way towards the dual. Phaelon was careful to keep it mere inches above the duracrete and away from any of the many cargo containers.

_Bring him this way, _she instructed, _but look out for the shadowbomb. _

Kyp ducked under an amphistaff swipe and leaped towards her, easily clearing the bomb.

They sprinted for cover as the Vong charged after them, and right into the cloaked proton torpedo.


	15. Chapter 15

The explosion sent debris and pieces of Vong flying in every direction just as the Jedi ducked behind a cargo container.

"Well that was good," said Kyp, waiting for the shrapnel to stop flying, "Now how are we getting out of here? That explosion probably did wonders to the X-wings."

Phaelon smiled smugly. "That's why I had Drifter have your droid put the shields up. Mine probably couldn't take it, but yours probably did." Assuring themselves no more shrapnel was flying, the Jedi raised up from their position to look around.

The blast had decimated most of the building, including Phaelon's X-wing and Drifter, for which she felt a pang of regret.

"Come on," said Kyp, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the X-wings.

"If you haven't noticed, there's only one of them," she protested. "Just get out of here before that damned Hutt brings the Vong down in force."

Kyp turned back on her and shook his head. "I didn't come all this way just to have you get killed now. You're coming too."

She rolled her eyes. "Those are built for one person if you haven't realized."

"Yes, I know. If two people can fit in a stylus ship, two people can fit in an X-wing," he explained, using the Force to leap into the cockpit and shoving the pilot's couch all the way back. "Are you coming, or not?"

Reluctantly, she grabbed his offered hand and pulled herself up. _There's more room in here than I thought,_ she mused, settling herself between Kyp and the control stick.

"You've got the pedals," he told her, his voice closer to her ear than she would have preferred. "Try not to get us killed."

She elbowed him in the stomach as the engines came on-line.

With the canopy closed, the cockpit became a lot smaller. Flying was still not wholly impossible, but it meant Phaelon was a lot closer to Kyp than she really wanted to be. She jumped when he wrapped his arms around her to grab the controls. "You're going to have to relax, or this is going to be a very long trip," he teased.

Drunkenly, the X-wing rose on its repulsors and emerged from the hangar just as several dozen more guards entered. They ducked as the engines engaged and the X-wing pointed towards the stars.

Phaelon wanted to hit him as the X-wing rocketed upwards, pressing her back into Kyp. While he flew, she checked out the hyperspace coordinates charted by his astromech droid. "A short hop to Yinchorr," she said, "then a really long one to Kashyyyk. We're not heading through any currently-Vong territory, but there's still a chance of dovin mines."

He nodded. "Think you can deal with me that long?"

"I'll just leave you at Yinchorr if you get too annoying."

"Do us a favor and pull those levers. At this rate we'll be dead before we get there."

Reaching forward, she grabbed the two levers and the X-wing shot into hyperspace.

OO

A little over an hour later, the X-wing emerged out of hyperspace near Yinchorr. They had made the first leg of the trip without being attacked by the Vong, a possibility that had very low survivability prospects seeing as neither of them were wearing their life-support gear or even a simple helmet. It still wasn't the most comfortable place, but Phaelon had finally decided she was probably more comfortable than Kyp, who actually made a pretty decent pillow.

"Ready?" she asked as the fighter maneuvered into their course change and accelerated up to lightspeed.

"I got no where else to be. Might as well be comfortable." One arm left the controls and snaked around her waist.

She scowled and tried to turn to hit him, but found she couldn't without jabbing herself in the back with the console. Instead, she settled for wiggling back and squashing him against the pilot's couch.

"Ouch." In revenge, he pinched her side, making her arch her back and squeak in surprise.

The motion brought her head back to lean against his shoulder, so their faces were mere centimeters apart. She could smell the spicy scent of him and see the beginnings of silver in his dark hair. Something snapped in a part of her brain she wasn't accustomed to using, and she averted her eyes to the swirling colors of hyperspace outside the tinted canopy.

Phaelon's first thought that it was Kyp playing with something in her head, and she slammed down her shields. But the slightly nagging feeling continued uninterrupted. "You mynock!" she complained, elbowing him in the stomach. "Get out of my head!"

He raised an eyebrow. "In order to get out, I'd have to be in there in the first place."

She frowned and turned, trying to hit him. This time, he grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go. "Let go."

"No. You're just going to hit me again."

"Exactly." She wrenched her arm around, but he kept his grip. As she couldn't get proper leverage seated as she was, she pulled her knees up to her chest and turned to that she was straddling him with her back to the controls.

"Impressive."

"Can I have my hand back now?"

He considered it for a moment, but held on. "No. You still want to hit me, and it might actually start to hurt after a while."

With a snarl, she lashed out with her other hand and nearly caught a handful of his hair had he not pulled back at the last moment. On her backswing, he grabbed the wrist and shook his head.

Somehow she got the feeling he was teasing her. _Well then, two could play that game._

Smirking deviously, she inched farther onto his lap. "Might as well be comfortable," she whispered mockingly, bringing her face close to his. "Looks like I'm not going anywhere for a while."


	16. Chapter 16

The fact she couldn't sense any nervousness from him, only drove her to continue. _Emperor's black bones!_ Here she was sitting in his lap, and he apparently didn't care. Normally, she had males of lots of species begging her to sit on their laps.

She was getting frustrated by his complete composure, and amusement at seeing her annoyance. The rogue Jedi had always seemed a bit of a loose ion cannon, and this lack of any emotion was driving her nuts. She kissed him carefully, merely brushing her lips past his and sending an electric jolt through them.

He arched an eyebrow, but didn't respond, which only frustrated her even more.

When she kissed him again, much to her surprise, he kissed back. _Hmm,_ she mused, _this is taking an interesting twist._ She leaned into the kiss, and he let go of her wrists as she wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her fingers in his shaggy hair. _And not an altogether bad one_, she added as his hands slid down to her lower back.

OO

The astromech droid chirped a warning that their reversion to realspace was imminent. Carefully, the two Jedi stretched and yawned.

"I think he's trying to tell us something," smirked Kyp.

Phaelon snuggled closer. "But I'm comfortable."

He chuckled. "You might be, but I'm not. This seat is killing me. And anyways, they catch us like this and we'll be the talk of the Jedi Order and the Republic military for the rest of the war." – He added thoughtfully, "And Mara just might blast me into oblivion for the fun of it."

She considered the possibilities for a moment carefully turning herself back around in the seat. "It's tempting, but then Mara would likely kill me for robbing her of the fun of killing you herself."

From their vantage point, Kashyyyk was a brilliant green orb hanging in the vastness of space. The IFF blinked, identifying several warships orbiting the planet and several more nearby. Closer at hand were two X-wings bearing the markings of High Flight Squadron.

The com squawked irritatingly and Phaelon rolled her eyes, but flicked the switch anyway.

"Dozen Lead, this is High Flight Three and Four," said a very young-sounding voice. "You've been ordered to report to _Mon Mothma_ immediately."

"Will do, High Flight," replied Kyp when Phaelon had thumbed the com switch. "Thanks."

Colonel Celchu was waiting for them at the far end of the docking bay when they finally set the X-wing down. "I thought these were one-man fighters?" he asked, as Phaelon slid out of the cockpit and had to catch her balance on the nose of the ship as her knees threatened to give way.

She smiled, rubbing her asleep leg. "You'd be amazed at how much room there is in there."

Tycho cast Kyp a look between disbelief and confusion, but the Jedi Master merely shrugged and slid to the duracrete beside them. "General Antilles and Master Skywalker would like to talk to the two of you." – He paused. – "Though they might be surprised to see the both of you."

"They wouldn't mind if we hit the 'fresher first, would they?" Phaelon asked. "This suit is getting rather indecent." Indeed, it was stiff with dried blood and the rips were only getting larger.

Tycho frowned. "You probably want to see the med bay too."

Kyp shrugged. "I'll talk to them now if they'd like."

"That would be good." – He looked at Phaelon. – "Report when you've gotten checked out."

It was difficult to get treated for something you didn't know what it was. No one in the med bay had been familiar with shanhs, so they swathed her midriff in bacta patches and told her to come back if they started to look infected.

Clad in a bright orange flightsuit that belonged to someone several times her size, Phaelon walked through the white corridors to the General's office. At her knock, General Antilles opened the door. "Come in and have a seat, Jedi Lei," he told her. "Master Durron has just finished telling us of your…adventure."

She nodded and took the chair next to Kyp. Wedge continued. "These Ansonians, are they helping the Vong?"

Kyp shook his head. "There was no indication that they were."

"Except for the Hutt," interrupted Phaelon. "He was trying to trade us for his freedom, but it looks like he escaped when we disappeared."

"But the natives?" Wedge goaded.

She shrugged and glanced at Kyp. "Nothing. We don't think they have any real concept of worlds besides their own. They're no real threat to anyone."

Wedge nodded. "Okay, well that's all the debriefing I've got for you. Master Durron answered some of my questions before you arrived… Now, you're probably wondering where you're headed next." – They nodded. – "Twin Suns is on mission right now, and Colonel Fel has been ordered to create a new Chiss squadron. We were hoping Master Durron would be willing to reform his Dozen."

Kyp eyed them warily, then looked towards Luke, who was lurking near the door. "And Master Skywalker agrees with this?" he asked suspiciously.

Luke nodded. "Not that you'd exactly listen if I said no. I just decided to save myself a headache."

"Alright," he replied warily, still not taking his eyes off the Jedi Master, "I guess I can do that."

Wedge smiled and looked at Phaelon. "The choice is up to you. You can either stay with Twin Suns, or I can get you transferred wherever you'd like. You intimated earlier perhaps the diplomatic corps?"

"Actually, sir," said Phaelon after a moments thought. "I'd like to stay with a fighter squadron. I can see now that diplomacy is only getting us killed unnecessarily."

Luke looked slightly staggered; prior to Borleias, the Jedi Knight had been one of his supporters. Phaelon relished the moment – it wasn't often one could surprise the Jedi Master. His eyes flickered suspiciously to Kyp.

The rogue Jedi merely shrugged, looking slightly surprised himself.

"Allow me to explain," said Phaelon, noticing the accusatory glances they were shooting Kyp. "While on Ansion, I was able to speak with Master Durron, and by no means do I agree with all his actions. But in this case, I think the only forms of negotiation the Vong will listen to is war. A good diplomat is able to understand her opposition and adapt as circumstances dictate. And if this war dictates we fight, I am willing to do just that."

A perfect quite descended on the office, until Wedge cleared his throat. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

They left the office several minutes later, heading towards the crew quarters. "If General Antilles doesn't come up with anything good," said Kyp, "you're welcome to join the Dozen."

She smiled seductively. "I might need some more convincing if I'm to join your group."

"Exactly how much more convincing would you need?" he asked cautiously.

Assuring herself no one was coming down the hall, Phaelon slammed him back against the wall and kissed him fiercely. Twisting around, they managed to stumble through the door to her quarters.

The door had just hissed shut again when one of the Wraiths emerged from his hiding spot halfway down the corridor smirking evilly and wondering just what damage he could do with the knowledge of what he'd just seen…


End file.
